despot

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

des·pot [despot despots] BrE [ˈdespɒt] NAmE [ˈdespɑːt] noun
a ruler with great power, especially one who uses it in a cruel way
•an enlightened despot (= one who tries to use his/her power in a good way)
Derived Word: ↑despotic

Word Origin:
mid 16th cent.: from French despote, via medieval Latin from Greek despotēs ‘master, absolute ruler’. Originally (after the Turkish conquest of Constantinople) the term denoted a minor Christian ruler under the Turkish empire. The current sense dates from the late 18th cent.

Example Bank:
•He was seen by many as an enlightened despot.
•It is the story of a military coup which brings a brutal despot to power.

• Từ đồng nghĩa / Synonyms:
  tyrant, autocrat